Squeaky clean December

By Beau Hayhoe, Stephen Brooks

Created:
12/01/11 7:43pm

Last updated:
12/01/11 8:14pm

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Well folks, they did it. There were some serious doubters out there, but despite a few rough patches the boys pulled through to the very end of November.

But this begs a major question. This is the Battle of the Beards after all, not “Beau and Stephen exaggerate their stubble” month.

A week in, we had lofty dreams of styling the hair into elaborate patterns. But either our expectations were unrealistic or there is something about newspaper that counteracts testosterone.

Still, I suppose there is something to be said about stepping up to No Shave November. The itching, the scratching, the odd clumps that don’t completely come in. Plus, not everyone looks good in a beard. Some people look like pediphiles. But both Beau and Stephen made sure to wear the beard and not let the beard wear them.

Or did they?

The final determination of our month-long experiment now rests in your hands, dear readers (and seeing the comments left on this site sometimes, that is nothing less than terrifying.)

You decide. Is Stephen’s stubble bringing sexy back, or is Beau’s facial hair more worthy of being crowned victor?

Visit our Facebook page to cast your vote.

Beau

After shaving, I must admit the difference is noticeable.

And although it took me a while to shave last night, I missed the beard a little bit once I looked in the mirror.

It’ll definitely take some getting used to in terms of interacting with my co-workers, all of whom said I looked remarkably younger minus the beard.

But, my face still appears to be a prime topic of conversation when people talk to me, something I got used to throughout the past month.

Either way, it’s been a fun run, and I’m actually glad I ended up participating in the competition.

Stephen

Well, it’s all gone now. This morning, December 1st, I shaved for the first time in a month. It was quite rewarding, I have to say, and after a relatively poor beard-growing performance I was beyond ready to finally shave.

Now that I have shaved I feel like I look like a little kid, though, honestly. People in the campus pod said that Beau looked noticeably younger without his manly man beard, and I have to agree.

We’re now just looking boyishly innocent with our freshly shaven faces, as opposed to the scruffy characters we used to look like.

The one downfall, though, is that I felt the harsh winter breeze on my face as I came into work today. Not that I had an outstanding beard before to protect me from the cold temperatures, but at least it was something.

I do have to be thankful that I wasn’t blasted by any readers on the comment section (that I know of?) throughout the past month. I was recently informed that someone didn’t agree with some things Beau put in an earlier post, and they let him know about it, so that’s pretty funny.

Another thing I forgot to include in the last post is a special thanks to everyone in the State News photography department, they’ve been willing and enthusiastic about helping us out all month, and obviously they were behind the pictures in every post.

My next mission is to re-grow the goatee that I’ve gotten so accustomed to having — beards just aren’t my thing.

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About Battle of the Beards

During the month of November, staff writers Beau Hayhoe and Stephen Brooks will face head-to-head on who can grow the most manly beard and not be the first to shave it off.

May the best beard win.

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